Custom «At a Crossroads: High School or College?» Essay Paper

The question about similar features of high school and college seems to be perpetuating nowadays. In every aspect of life people try to compare and contrast things and situations according to the acquired experience. Education is not an exception in finding similarities and differences between institutions. Nowadays colleges provide more possibilities for graduates, even referring to the statistics results “The U.S. Census Bureau has released data proving the substantial value of a college education in the United States. Workers 18 and over sporting bachelor’s degrees earn an average of $51,206 a year, while those with a high school diploma earn $27,915”. Therefore, college is a better start in one’s path, which makes social life transform from an ordinary into diverse type and gives its graduate more possibilities to succeed in their career path.

On the one hand, there are numerous similarities between high school and college. Firstly, they both are educational institutions, which teach their students natural, humanitarian, or physical sciences. The primary role of the educational establishment is to “teach how to learn independently.” That means that both high schools and colleges give some theoretical and practical aspects as well as engender curiosity among students. Consequently, students will either know the subject, or not, and if it is the second variant, students will definitely know the place or a person, whom they can ask about that specific problem. Moreover, these institutions mostly have the same methodology of teaching. The most vivid example is classroom system. Students are usually divided into groups; teachers or lecturers always take the central position in the class and provide students with all necessary information. At the same time, students take some notes and ask questions to the topic, which means that in both institutions the key element is interaction and dialogue type of sharing thoughts, rather than a monologue.

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Second, the system of grading and checking the deep understanding of the topic is done in the same way. While listening to lectures or classes and doing home assignment, students are like “sponges”. They absorb information and revise it. The next step is the most dreadful for all the students, which is tests and quizzes. In both institutions this means the same – students are obliged to go through all these documentary forms of assessing. That specific type of knowledge evaluation is in conformity with regulations, which are the same for all types of educational establishments. Moreover, the attitude of the students in schools and colleges towards this assessment style is almost the same. Sometimes students do everything diligently, try to get everything out of the class, but result in tests’ failure. This may be explained from various perspectives, but the matter is that students remain conformists and do not have enough fortitude somehow to change that system of checking material. That is why, similar type of behavior is immanent to students, both in high school and colleges.

Third, behavior anticipation and restriction at some point is an archetypal part of colleges and high schools. During the process of studying, students are asked to do certain type and amount of work. Moreover, they are often given guides how to do it successfully and meet all requirement. Therefore, teachers do have some expectations about their studens’ work. At the same time, restrictions are part and parcel of every studying process. It is “mandatory” to at least partially attend classes and do home tasks just because it is a must in an institution. Otherwise, the question arouses “Why do students come here, just to sit and enjoy their life?” which implicates that all educational institutions have certain demands to be done. Subsequently, high schools and colleges are going through the same path, which is to restrain student’s life and direct it in a certain way, while giving little chances of choice.

On the other hand, one may trace several discrepancies between high schools and colleges, which make the second variant more outstanding. The first one is covering the topic of social life. The time at high school may be characterized in the way, that there is a big gap between students. Usually there is a ringleader with all that boisterous friends, which are the center of attention and are constantly under close scrutiny until the graduation. On the contrary, it is not typical for colleges to have many examples of that case, as this is the place for mature students to study, not to play games. The time spent in college is usually the new lease of life, which initiates a “new page in a book”. Students are less interested in juicy gossips; they may even become brusque to some extent. This is because they are predominantly focused on achieving their goals and pinnacles and try not to squander their time and nerves on something unnecessary.

Second, college transforms students into independent and down-to-earth learners, which have to rely only on themselves. At school everything is meticulously planned by teachers, while college requires more self-education and introspection what you need to do. College students are obliged to manage their time, money in order to be successful. This means, that students know more how to make a better choice and expand their visions. Such system of self-discipline is a productive way of making real individuals, rather than copying someone’s behavior and having stereotypical reasoning. Moreover, colleges prepare students to problems in a real life, which are quite unpredictable. While studying, one may find so many lecturers and instruction, each of whom will be totally different and have different demands. This situation is of a great value for students, even when someone does not agree with his statement. Some people say that it is easier to do certain type of work, know exactly what to do. However, students who are “thrown in at the deep end” are more flexible and easily overcome obstacles in everyday life. Problems are often of various natures; therefore, different actions should be taken to overcome them. Consequently, students are more prepared to a real life, which may give them more possibilities and chances “to win the price”.

Finally, economic factor is one of the most spoken about. Nowadays everything concentrates around money and economy, which have a great impact on everybody. Some people ask “Why to study?”, and various answers can be heard. The most typical among them is “To find a well-paid job”. Indisputably, everybody wants to make an outstanding career path as well as be economically independent from anybody. People’s primary instinct is to satisfy their first needs, such as, to sleep, eat, and entertain. These components of well-being cannot be achieved without money. Therefore, college gets its superiority over high school. Colleges make specialists, create critical thinking and broaden people’s horizons, which is very helpful while searching a job. This is a vital element to become a successful in one’s career. Moreover, there are more chances to get highly paid job or a promotion after a graduation from the college. On the contrary, high school leavers often do menial jobs and get lower salaries than college graduates. That is why, career path may be not so thorny, if one gets college education and persevere his or her dream.

High school and college are two educational institutions, which have lots in common. At the same time they have a great deal of distinctive features, which makes one more prominent from the other. Without a doubt, this is a college, which even sounds more agreeably. As John Dewey said “Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself.” The more someone studies, the better specialist he or she becomes, which cannot be reached without a college.